STACK New Zealand December Issue 69

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It’s a dizzying time to be a Star
Wars fan. We’re on the eve
of a new generation of Star
Wars films, Star Wars figures
are fighting for space on toy
shop shelves, licensed Star Wars
products have infiltrated a broad
range of industries, and EA has
released its first Star Wars game
since acquiring the right to do so
back in 2013.
By now you’ve undoubtedly
put countless hours into Star
Wars: Battlefront – we certainly
have. Aficionados of the franchise
will have appreciated the depth
that Swedish developer DICE
have painstakingly undertaken
to ensure that the game feels
intrinsically linked to Lucas’s
original trilogy. This extends from
the accurate representations of the
characters, the score, the used-
future aesthetic, and even right
down to the shower of sparks that
explode when a Stormtrooper is
struck in the chest by a well-aimed
blaster.
This comprehensive level of
detail would have been impossible
without the unprecedented access
to the Star Wars archives that the
studio was granted. For many,
the chance to rummage through
the accumulation of props and
costumes from Star Wars,The
Empire Strikes Back and Return
of the Jedi would be a coveted
opportunity strictly reserved for
the realm of reveries. But that’s
exactly what a fortunate team
from DICE did.
“They have this cultural arts
museum as they call it – I guess
the common word is the archives
– on the grounds of Skywalker
Ranch (Lucasfilm’s sound design,
mixing and audio post-production
facility situated 40 minutes north
of San Francisco), and access to
that is super restricted,” recalls
design director Niklas Fegraeus.
“I think George Lucas himself
owns it or something like that. We
were just given a special tour and
assistance from the guys there
and that was super, super helpful.”
We frantically try to picture
the scene in our minds. Strolling
through a doorway to see a
Stormtrooper helmet on a stand,
Vader’s mask in a cabinet – we’d
even give the Ewok costumes a
cursory glance. Pulling ourselves
from the daydream, we press
for more information; how did
they feel when they entered the
museum?
“I was with the team when we
first visited the place (the studio
visited the Skywalker Ranch
twice). When we first walked into
there, it was truly breathtaking for
us as we are such fans of the film
and knowing the material so well,
having seen it so many times.
"It actually took a while for
me to collect myself when we
walked in through the door,"
Fegraeus continues, “but then
we just started jumping around,
laughing, pointing, 'look what
about this one, look at that one'.
We just started acting like kids.
And after a while we could start
getting professional, but it was
such an emotional experience to
go through.”
Enthusiastically, our
questioning/stalking continues. We
need more information. How are
the props stored?
“That is highly dependent
on the type of item it is,” says
Fegraeus. “The clothing and
costumes from the films are
stored in these special long
wardrobes. Some of the very
sensitive materials were stored
in – I don’t even know if it was a
vacuum sealed or something like
that – glass containers, like display
boxes in a standard museum.
“On top of that there are
shelves crammed with items,
Imagine getting your hands on the props, costumes and models from the original
StarWars trilogy! For some lucky members of EA DICE, that became a reality.
26 DECEMBER 2015
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